ABD Egypt - Tipping and Accomodations for 3

[joliedog]

My husband, adult daughter and I are about to embark on the ABD Egypt trip. We have taken a river cruise before and were able to pay the tip for the crew/cruise director via credit card at the end of the trip. Is that an option for the ABD trips? I did get Egyptian pounds which I don't think we'll use after finding this forum. Can we use Egyptian pounds to tip the guide? Also, if you traveled with 3 adults, how did you feel about the rooms? Did you feel like you were on top of eachother or are the hotel rooms slightly larger to accomodate 3 people? Thanks so much for any advice.

 

[AquaDame]

We're heading to Egypt next month as well and I was wondering if we should pick up some Egyptian pounds; would you mind sharing why you think you will not need any? I assumed we'd need it for tips or paying vendors/for food on our own etc.

 

[Minnie1222]

I also plan to go to Egypt whenever the Grand Egyptian Museum decides to fully open. I plan to tip the guides in Euros or U.S. dollars, and use Egyptian currency for small vendors.

 

[joliedog]

From what I have been reading, pretty much all tipping is done by ABD and that most people who you would tip prefer USD.

 

[jimmymc]

For tipping locals during on your own time, US $1 bills are perfect. You can also use the equivalent in EGP, about 50 to 1.

For tipping the ABD guides, I'd probably go with USD for this trip specifically. They'll definitely accept EGP or a mix of both, but USD almost seems more useful in Egypt as a tourist.

 

[abdgeek]

My husband, adult daughter and I are about to embark on the ABD Egypt trip. We have taken a river cruise before and were able to pay the tip for the crew/cruise director via credit card at the end of the trip. Is that an option for the ABD trips? I did get Egyptian pounds which I don't think we'll use after finding this forum. Can we use Egyptian pounds to tip the guide? Also, if you traveled with 3 adults, how did you feel about the rooms? Did you feel like you were on top of eachother or are the hotel rooms slightly larger to accomodate 3 people? Thanks so much for any advice.

I wouldn’t exchange a lot of money for Egyptian Pounds before your trip. I did the Egypt ABD in 2023 and came in about 4 days early to visit sites in Cairo and the surrounding areas that ABD wasn’t visiting. I pre-booked my private tours and tipped the tour guides and drivers in USD—that’s actually a thing in Egypt. One person drives and one does the tour. When I arrived at the airport, I was met by a representative who took me to the hotel and checked me in. He asked what I had planned and recommended I exchange about $100. Instead, I only exchanged $30 USD to Egyptian Pounds. I couldn’t give the money away! Everyone wants USD. (The Nile Ritz Carlton has a bank inside the hotel and a money exchange). Virtually every place has the price listed in EP and USD. Credit cards are also accepted at larger establishments. The only thing you need small EP for is using the bathroom at different sites. When you’re with ABD, they will pay the fee. However, if you take TP from someone in or outside the toilet, you’re expected to give a tip. I researched ahead of time, so had my own TP and wet wipes. Since I had EP I couldn’t give away, I used it to partially tip the Egyptian ABD Guide. When I met with the ABD group on the first day, the guides recommended that we not exchange more than $5-10 at a time. Also, if you plan to exchange money, make sure that you have pristine bills. They won’t accept for exchange anything that is ripped or generally not in good repair. Have a great trip!

 

[toesmom]

I wouldn’t exchange a lot of money for Egyptian Pounds before your trip. I did the Egypt ABD in 2023 and came in about 4 days early to visit sites in Cairo and the surrounding areas that ABD wasn’t visiting. I pre-booked my private tours and tipped the tour guides and drivers in USD—that’s actually a thing in Egypt. One person drives and one does the tour. When I arrived at the airport, I was met by a representative who took me to the hotel and checked me in. He asked what I had planned and recommended I exchange about $100. Instead, I only exchanged $30 USD to Egyptian Pounds. I couldn’t give the money away! Everyone wants USD. (The Nile Ritz Carlton has a bank inside the hotel and a money exchange). Virtually every place has the price listed in EP and USD. Credit cards are also accepted at larger establishments. The only thing you need small EP for is using the bathroom at different sites. When you’re with ABD, they will pay the fee. However, if you take TP from someone in or outside the toilet, you’re expected to give a tip. I researched ahead of time, so had my own TP and wet wipes. Since I had EP I couldn’t give away, I used it to partially tip the Egyptian ABD Guide. When I met with the ABD group on the first day, the guides recommended that we not exchange more than $5-10 at a time. Also, if you plan to exchange money, make sure that you have pristine bills. They won’t accept for exchange anything that is ripped or generally not in good repair. Have a great trip!

Were you concerned about your safety in Cairo on your own? I understand with ABD you have some safety with guides. Just asking as we were considering ABD for future travel to Egypt but would arrive early to help with jetlag. Traveling out of Canada expensive ttrip.

 

[pjacobi]

Egypt runs on Baksheesh, a combination of tip and bribe. Nothing gets done without Baksheesh! That where you will need some small bills. Be sure to learn about this important cultural difference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baksheesh


-Paul

 

[abdgeek]

Were you concerned about your safety in Cairo on your own? I understand with ABD you have some safety with guides. Just asking as we were considering ABD for future travel to Egypt but would arrive early to help with jetlag. Traveling out of Canada expensive ttrip.

I was never concerned about my safety when traveling solo In Cairo. Security is everywhere and the ABD had security that traveled with us to the different sites. When I did the private tours, the guide had to check in with security on the way. Security actually called them while we were on the tour to check on me. I researched visiting Egypt ahead of time and made sure I wore long pants and short sleeved shirts. Although I carried a shawl with me, we didn’t visit anywhere where I was expected to cover my head. Everyone I met was very welcoming.